Dave Parise’s Fix My Fitness Club WORST Rethink exercises of 2016
“Exercises that wreak havoc on your entire system, and are shown by uneducated Personal Trainers.
The Seated Leg Extension
It causes a contraction of the quadriceps muscles in the thigh WITHOUT a co-contraction of the hamstrings & calves to protect the knee. This machine creates a damaging shear force on the connective tissues of the knee. The knees are anchored as they drive into the pads. All the shearing forces are in the knee caps. It’s also a good idea to wear a shirt!
The Tricep “Bench” Dip
Places extreme stress on the acromioclavicular joint of the shoulder as well as the elbows. Will lead to shoulder impingement, rotator cuff tears, joint sprains, bursitis and tendinitis. Extremely bad for those with forward head posture.
The Upright Barbell Row
Maximum pronation & the shoulders at maximum internal rotation under load. This position drives the humerus bone forward pinching the bicep tendon and compressing the shoulder bursa which leads to tendinitis & bursitis.
The Smith Machine Squat (LOL Yep I am laughing!)
What the machine really does is shift your center of mass and places excess shear stress on the knee ligaments due to decreased activation of the hamstrings. Ladies the leaning back variation with the feet close and out in front of you & the ballet style “Plie'” variations DO MORE DAMAGE to the neck & knees! – you’re not training your butt more with your feet close together and out in front of your body.
The Round Back Deadlift and Round Back Barbell Rows
The rounded back stresses the spine incorrectly from the neck to pelvis and is a frequent cause of: sciatic pain, bulging discs, disc herniations, ligament sprains, and eventual disc rupture and surgery! You need to maintain proper cervical & lumbar curves or YOU WILL GET INJURED!
The 45 degree Leg Press
As the head goes forward, and the low back lifts. Because it allows the use of extremely heavy weights but with BAD form! An unnatural triple flexed position that’s furthest from the “natural squat” This places extreme stress in the neck & lower back. It is machine guided high risk training.
Behind the neck Barbell Press and Lat Pulldowns
Two old school exercises that are useless and dangerous. Notice the forward head, and external rotation as your stressing and damaging the cervical discs and nerves. You also injure the rotator cuff by forcing internal shoulder rotation under load when you lean forward. The pulldown is out of our strength profile, and resistance profile.
Crunches on the floor (or with feet on a physioball)
Floor crunches lead to an immobile spine, forward head posture (especially if you pull on your neck like the model in the picture), neck pain, back pain, and headaches. The physioball is a tool that can provide the proper range of motion if you lie on top of the ball. The ball will create spinal extension and full range of motion. HOWEVER I don’t believe in crunches to train the abs.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise with “Pouring water technique”
A purely cosmetic “Oh I feel it” exercise that is made into a shoulder “wrecker” by adding the stupid “make like you’re pouring a glass of water technique” This moronic technique places the shoulders once again in internal rotation with hands pronated leading to the humerus slamming into the acromion and stressing all the tendons & bursa resulting in tendinitis, bursitis, and rotator cuff damage!
One of the most comical twists and turns of the century!
The rotation has no effect on the shoulder muscles whatsoever. If you notice the humerus does not change its path, just your wrist. (Ulnar Radius) That funky twist and turn just shifts weight distribution of the dumbbell. No magic here Ladies and Gents.
The Curtsey lunge on a smith machine REALLY?
It’s bad enough this move exceeds the basic biomechanical articulation of the knees. The knees must be inline with the shoulder joint during the step. The worst thing is to step forward! Now we add the smith machine, a dictated range to an overcompensated, highest risk move. Curtsy in general is a waste, now it’s done at a whole new level! Please ladies this does not work your butt. Butt it will increase transverse forces across the knee joint. (Yea thats a bad thing)
IMPROPER Kettlebell swings
Kettlebells being used like dumbells but don’t get me started! The idea that people just can pick them up, and use them, oh well! The bell NEVER goes overhead in the swing exercise, elbows should not bend, and the back must not round. I love the trainers who stand by and watch.
THE BURPEE (The wrecking ball)
The best for last! The almighty, most popular, harmful, ridiculous looking, mainstream, exercise on the planet! Let’s get serious… Muscles tend to adapt, and strengthen with exercise, however tendons, ligaments, and cartilage, tend to become damaged with improper, or wrong choice of exercise. In 1980 the burpee was noted for wrecking backs and knees. It jumped right back into play in 2010. Its popularity is from the lazy trainer, and group instructor who feels it’s “easy to manage in any setting”. The most harmful part of the Burpee is when your knees are “hyperflexed” or just before the thrust up to the standing position. The knees hyperflexed and act like a fulcrum. The meniscus and cartilage are squeezed on the backside of the knees. In turn you get a separation of the medial, and lateral collateral ligament tissues on the front side of the knees past the point of vulnerability. The low back is on fire! The pelvis is locked, posteriorly, and the hamstrings are powerless, in a slack situation…. they are shut off as you go to stand. Being that the knee tissue is compressed…the patellar tendon (Ligament) is pulled over the front of the knee cap. Hence beating up your knees! Click, pop, crackle is on its way soon!
The 2016 prize goes to the Certified trainers who bought the book, and pass the test…Application, and continuing education is overrated for these marketing geniuses. Wow follow me to injury!
